Seasonal variation in ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase activity in Pinus silvestris

Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase activity was examined in Pinus silvestris L. during successive seasons. The enzyme activities were studied both in seedlings, kept under controlled conditions in a climate chamber, and in needles from a 15-year-old tree in a natural stand. The enzyme activities were analysed in cell-free extracts prepared with Tween 80 as protective agent. The carboxylase activity fluctuated periodically both in the seedlings and in the natural stand. In the seedlings, the weight-related activity in the older needles increased 50–100% (in the cotyledons c. 200%) in the beginning of the “summer”. It decreased as the new shoot developed. The specific activity increased c. 100%. With chlorophyll as base, the activity usually decreased during “summer”. In the developing current needles the carboxylase activity increased when expressed on a weight or on a protein basis. The decrease in weight-related carboxylase activity in the older needles was preceded by, or simultaneous with, loss of total protein. It is suggested that protein, including the carboxylase, is utilized as nitrogen reserve for the new shoot. During hardening by combined photoperiod and thermoperiod, the carboxylase activity decreased when expressed relative to dry weight and protein. Calculated on a chlorophyll basis, the activity was rather constant. In the natural stand the activity in the one- and two-year-old needles increased during spring and summer and decreased during autumn and winter. Even at severe winter stress substantial carboxylase activity remained in the needles. The activity of the enzyme in vivo is discussed with respect to electron transport and net photosynthesis.     

Evaluating future success of whitebark pine ecosystem restoration under climate change using simulation modeling

Major declines of whitebark pine forests throughout western North America from the combined effects of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks, fire exclusion policies, and the exotic disease white pine blister rust (WPBR) have spurred many restoration actions. However, projected future warming and drying may further exacerbate the species' decline and possibly compromise long‐term success of today's restoration activities. We evaluated successes of restoration treatments under future climate using a comprehensive landscape simulation experiment. The spatially explicit, ecological process model FireBGCv2 was used to simulate whitebark pine populations on two U.S. Northern Rocky Mountain landscapes over 95 years under two climate, three restoration, and two fire management scenarios. Major findings were that (1) whitebark pine can remain on some high mountain landscapes in a future climate albeit at lower basal areas (50% decrease), (2) restoration efforts, such as thinning and prescribed burning, are vital to ensure future whitebark pine forests, and (3) climate change impacts on whitebark pine vary by local setting. Whitebark pine restoration efforts will mostly be successful in the future but only if future populations are somewhat resistant to WPBR. Results were used to develop general guidelines that address climate change impacts for planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating fine‐scale restoration activities.     

Bachman's Sparrows at the northern periphery of their range: home range size and microhabitat selection

Populations of Bachman's Sparrows (Peucaea aestivalis) have declined range‐wide since the late 1960s. Populations at the periphery of their range have exhibited some of the steepest declines, and these sparrows are now rare or extirpated over much of the northern extent of their historical range. To better understand the spatial ecology of Bachman's Sparrows in this region of decline, we examined microhabitat selection and determined the home range sizes of radio‐tagged male Bachman's Sparrows (N = 37) in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina in 2014 and 2015. From April to July, we located males 1–2 times daily for 5–6 d per week. We measured vegetation structure in home ranges using 5‐m‐radius plots centered on a subset of 10 randomly selected telemetry locations as well as in available unused locations 50 m and in a random direction from each telemetry location. Mean size of home ranges (7.9 ha) was larger than estimates reported in most previous studies, with differences among studies possibly due, at least in part, to differences in the characteristics of habitats where studies were conducted. The home ranges of Bachman's Sparrows in our study had greater densities of woody and dead vegetation than unused areas. Although generally considered detrimental to the presence of Bachman's Sparrows, the presence of some woody vegetation in frequently burned (i.e., ≤ 3‐yr return interval) longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) communities like those in our study may be important in providing song perches for males and cover from attacking predators. Bachman's Sparrows in our study showed clear selection for several vegetation characteristics linked to frequent fire. Management strategies that approximate historical fire regimes in longleaf pine ecosystems should continue to be promoted as essential tools for the conservation of Bachman's Sparrows.     

Characterization of microsatellite loci in Brachyderes rugatus,the Canary Islands pine weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The Canary Island pine weevil Brachyderes rugatus (Wollaston) consists of four allopatric subspecies that are thought to have arisen from several historic colonization events within the archipelago. We have isolated and optimized seven microsatellite loci from Brachyderes rugatus calvus from Gran Canaria. Six of these loci are polymorphic within B. rugatus (11–22 alleles per locus; heterozygosity between 0.43 and 0.84). There is no evidence for heterozygote deficit within populations or for linkage disequilibrium between pairs of loci. These molecular markers are likely to prove useful tools for quantifying the genetic variability of bottlenecked island populations.     

千山油松年轮宽度年表的建立及其与气候的关系

以千山油松为样本,建立了年轮宽度标准化年表、差值年表和自回归年表.结果表明,油松年轮宽度与5—7和9—11月温度指标的相关性较高,且与低温呈正相关,其中与7月的极端最低温、9月的平均最低温显著相关.3种年表与上年12月和当年1月的极端最低温、1月的平均最低温呈显著相关,且其与全年、上年12月、当年5月的降水量显著相关,与4月的降水量极显著相关.油松与水汽压、相对湿度的月和年指标均有较强的相关性.蒸发的年指标和绝大部分月指标对油松生长具有负效应,其中4—7月最明显.油松年表的窄化突变佐证了1800年以来的30次主要的旱灾年历史记录.千山油松的生长受全球或半球尺度气候变化的影响.年表与太阳活动存在显著的11、23和50年左右的公共周期,与地磁指标在10、20和45年左右存在共同的周期变化.     

Carbon storage and fluxes in ponderosa pine forests at different developmental stages

We compared carbon storage and fluxes in young and old ponderosa pine stands in Oregon, including plant and soil storage, net primary productivity, respiration fluxes, eddy flux estimates of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), and Biome‐BGC simulations of fluxes. The young forest (Y site) was previously an old‐growth ponderosa pine forest that had been clearcut in 1978, and the old forest (O site), which has never been logged, consists of two primary age classes (50 and 250 years old). Total ecosystem carbon content (vegetation, detritus and soil) of the O forest was about twice that of the Y site (21 vs. 10 kg C m^?2 ground), and significantly more of the total is stored in living vegetation at the O site (61% vs. 15%). Ecosystem respiration (R_e) was higher at the O site (1014 vs. 835 g C m^?2 year^?1), and it was largely from soils at both sites (77% of R_e). The biological data show that above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP), NPP and net ecosystem production (NEP) were greater at the O site than the Y site. Monte Carlo estimates of NEP show that the young site is a source of CO₂ to the atmosphere, and is significantly lower than NEP(O) by c. 100 g C m^?2 year^?1. Eddy covariance measurements also show that the O site was a stronger sink for CO₂ than the Y site. Across a 15‐km swath in the region, ANPP ranged from 76 g C m^?2 year^?1 at the Y site to 236 g C m^?2 year^?1 (overall mean 158 ± 14 g C m^?2 year^?1). The lowest ANPP values were for the youngest and oldest stands, but there was a large range of ANPP for mature stands. Carbon, water and nitrogen cycle simulations with the Biome‐BGC model suggest that disturbance type and frequency, time since disturbance, age‐dependent changes in below‐ground allocation, and increasing atmospheric concentration of CO₂ all exert significant control on the net ecosystem exchange of carbon at the two sites. Model estimates of major carbon flux components agree with budget‐based observations to within ± 20%, with larger differences for NEP and for several storage terms. Simulations showed the period of regrowth required to replace carbon lost during and after a stand‐replacing fire (O) or a clearcut (Y) to be between 50 and 100 years. In both cases, simulations showed a shift from net carbon source to net sink (on an annual basis) 10–20 years after disturbance. These results suggest that the net ecosystem production of young stands may be low because heterotrophic respiration, particularly from soils, is higher than the NPP of the regrowth. The amount of carbon stored in long‐term pools (biomass and soils) in addition to short‐term fluxes has important implications for management of forests in the Pacific North‐west for carbon sequestration.     

Differences in nitrate and ammonium uptake between Scots pine and European larch

In forest soils, ammonium is usually the predominant form of inorganic nitrogen. However, the capacity of trees to utilize both NO₃ ^- and NH₃ ⁺ may provide greater flexibility in responding to changes of nitrogen supply from the environment. Such capacity has been studied in seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) grown in the presence or absence of either nitrate or ammonium. Nitrate-induced plants showed a higher nitrate uptake rate than non-induced plants; this difference was almost negligible after 24 h of exposure to NO₃ ^-. Ammonium uptake in both species was consistently higher than that of nitrate, regardless of prior nitrogen provision. In both nutrient conditions, larch showed a more efficient transport system in comparison with Scots pine, with higher ammonium and nitrate uptake rates in both induced and non-induced plants. This was consistent also with the activity of nitrate reductase, measured in vivo in roots and leaves. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

森林土壤物理性质的空间异质性研究

土壤空间质性是土壤的重要属性之一。采用地统计的理论和方法,研究了阔叶红松林上层土壤物理因子的空间异质性。变异函数分析结果表明,土壤水分、容重、毛管持水量和孔隙讴具有明显的空间异质性。在０～１０ｃｍ土层深,空间异质性尺度为１１～１３ｍ,１１～２０ｃｍ土层深为６～８ｍ,空间异质性程度随尺度变化。自相关部分的空间异质性在０～１０ｃｍ和１１～２０ｃｍ土层深为５２．９％～７３．７％和６９．３％～９３．６％,     

Different effects of supplied ammonium on glutamine synthetase activity in mustard (Sinapis alba) and pine (Pinus sylvestris) seedlings

The activity of glutamine synthetase (GS) in mustard ( Sinapis alba L.) and Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings was used as an index to evaluate the capacity to cope with excessive ammonium supply. In these 2 species GS activity was differently affected by the application of nitrogen compounds (NH₄⁺ or NO₃⁻). Mustard seedlings older than 5 days showed a considerable increase in GS activity after NH₄⁺ or NO₃⁻ application. This response was independent of the energy flux, but GS activity in general was positively affected by light. Endogenous NH₄⁺ did not accumulate greatly after nitrogen supply. In contrast, seedlings of Scots pine accumulated NH₄⁺ in cotyledons and roots and showed no stimulation of GS activity after the application of ammonium. In addition, root growth was drastically reduced. Thus, the pine seedlings seem to have insufficient capacity to assimilate exogenously supplied ammonium. NO₃⁻, however, did not lead to any harmful effects.     

长白山阔叶红松林退化生态系统的土壤呼吸作用

选择处于全球变化中国东北样带东部典型生态系统的长白山阔叶红松林作为研究区,采用动态气室-CO₂红外分析法测定了森林生态系统不同退化阶段的土壤呼吸作用.结果表明：在生长季,长白山阔叶红松林不同退化阶段的土壤呼吸动态变化呈单峰型曲线,在7-8月达到最大值;不同退化阶段林地土壤呼吸大小顺序为：杨桦林＞蒙古栎林＞阔叶红松林＞硬阔叶林＞裸地.其中,杨桦林和蒙古栎林样地的碳释放量分别为对照阔叶红松林的1.4和1.3倍,硬阔叶林和裸地的碳释放量分别为对照阔叶红松林的88%和78%.